SWERVE

[swerve] vb swerved ; swerv.ing [ME, fr. OE sweorfan to wipe, file away; akin to OHG swerban to wipe off, W chwerfu to whirl] vi (14c): to turn aside abruptly from a straight line or course: deviate ~ vt: to cause to turn aside or deviate -- swerve n syn swerve, veer, deviate, depart, digress, diverge mean to turn aside from a straight course. swerve may suggest a physical, mental, or moral turning away from a given course, often with abruptness "swerved to avoid hitting the dog". veer implies a major change in direction "at that point the path veers to the right". deviate implies a turning from a customary or prescribed course "never deviated from her daily routine". depart suggests a deviation from a traditional or conventional course or type "occasionally departs from his own guidelines". digress applies to a departing from the subject of one's discourse "a professor prone to digress". diverge may equal depart but usu. suggests a branching of a main path into two or more leading in different directions "after school their paths diverged".